scholarly journals Perception of academic learning environments and perceived impact on articulation of employability skills; a mixed methods study

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Hayes ◽  
Siobhan Devlin ◽  
Diane Westwood ◽  
Iain Garfield ◽  
Philip Beardmore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Employability Skills ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
Perceived Impact

This study reports on the findings of a mixed methods study that was undertaken to establish student perceptions of academic learning environments and the perceived impact of these on their articulation of employability skills. This was so student perspectives on employability could be used to inform reflection on pedagogic practices for their educators in higher education. Using a purposive sample of 250 students based in a recently modernised Sciences Complex Building in a Higher Education Institution (HEI), the study was cross sectional and descriptive by design. The social learning spaces researched were perceived by participants to provide optimal academic learning environments for their development of knowledge, skills and professionalism through certain signature pedagogies as they progressed through their programmes of study. Students also expressed the view that their acquisition of functional skills were significantly more important than any personal attributes/characteristics that they brought to programmes. What also mattered was whether the importance of certain graduate skills to the workplace had been made explicit to them so that they could see the relevance of their studies to practice. In defining 'graduateness', in employability terms the research concluded that it was necessary to consider how it was shaped by the context of delivery of subject disciplines, stages of academic progression, and the use of social learning spaces, as they all had a significant impact on the perceptions students held about their potential employability upon completion of their academic programmes.

Blurring the Boundaries

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Julie A Delello ◽  
Kouider Mokhtari
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Use Of Social Media

This article reports the results of a mixed methods study aimed at exploring faculty and student perceptions regarding the use of social media in the higher education classroom. Two groups of faculty (n = 50) and students (n = 396) voluntarily responded to an online survey consisting of a mix of close and open-ended questions pertaining to their perceptions of social media use inside and outside the classroom. Key findings revealed that among faculty (52%) and students (23%) see social media as a distraction. In addition, contrary to prior research indicating that interpersonal boundaries between faculty and students are shifting as people become more connected via social media, only 17% of students and 29% of faculty reported forming social media friendships outside of the classroom. These findings are discussed in light of extant research on the use of social media along with implications for the role of social media in the higher education classroom.

Assessing a Trauma-Informed Approach to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Higher Education: A Mixed Methods Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Liza Barros-Lane ◽  
Dana Smith ◽  
Dawn McCarty ◽  
Sandra Perez ◽  
Leslie Sirrianni
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Trauma Informed

Radiology Stereotypes, Application Barriers, and Hospital Integration: A Mixed-methods Study of Medical Student Perceptions of Radiology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars J. Grimm ◽  
Laura J. Fish ◽  
Caroline WT Carrico ◽  
Jonathan G. Martin ◽  
Vesta C. Nwankwo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Mixed Methods Study

Investigating Student Perceptions and the Effectiveness of K-12 Blended Learning Communities

2019 ◽  
pp. 500-522
Author(s):  
Gina Tovine ◽  
April Fleetwood ◽  
Andrew Shepherd ◽  
Colton J. Tapoler ◽  
Richard Hartshorne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Virtual School ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Florida Virtual School ◽  
K 12

While the growth of blended learning environments in higher education and non-educational settings has continued to increase in recent years, this has not been the case in K-12 settings. Recently, in an effort to explore the viability and effectiveness of K-12 blended learning environments, Florida Virtual School (FLVS) has been piloting blended learning communities in a number of their schools, providing opportunities to explore factors that influence the effectiveness of K-12 blended learning communities. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to report the results of a study designed to assess conditions that influence the effectiveness of K-12 blended learning communities, and to explore learner, instructor, course, and other factors important to successful blended learning communities. Findings will inform the design, development, and implementation of future K-12 blended teaching and learning environments in an effort to support and strengthen student achievement, the preparation of teachers to facilitate effective blended learning environments.

Adult Learner Characteristics Important for Successful Learning in Cross-Cultural Web-Based Learning Environments in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 436-469
Author(s):  
Joseph George M. Lutta
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Web Based Learning

For more than 40 years, cognitive psychological perspectives have dominated pedagogical frameworks and models for designing technology-mediated teaching and learning environments. Social learning perspectives are increasingly becoming viable or even desirable frames for research and practice as pertains to teaching and learning, particularly in web-based learning environments (WBLEs). The author considers these social learning perspectives and how they relate to the design and implementation of curricula that are delivered in web-based learning environments in higher education. The author further reviews the foundational theories of adult learning that enhance adult learners' experiences in cross-cultural web-based learning environments. This review and analysis of the research related to social learning perspectives on WBLEs have three implications for future research and practice: (1) examining learners' individual characteristics in WBLEs, (2) identifying strategies for promoting social interaction in WBLEs, and (3) developing effective design principles for WBLEs. The author presents recommendations for future research.

scholarly journals Re-Imagining Teaching for Technology-Enriched Learning Spaces

2012 ◽  
pp. 242-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Steel ◽  
Trish Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Academic Development ◽  
Leadership Capacity ◽  
Traditional Teaching ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
Institutional Investment ◽  
University Teachers

New technology-enriched learning spaces are a focus of institutional investment to address the identified shortcomings of traditional teaching and learning environments. Academic development, an area that has received little attention in this context, can be designed to provide strong opportunities for university teachers to re-imagine their teaching for these new spaces while also building their leadership capacity. This chapter discusses challenges that teachers face in transforming their teaching practices and proposes a model for academic development to support this. Two case studies demonstrate the flexibility and efficacy of the model and provide pointers for further adoption in the higher education context.

scholarly journals THE ATTRIBUTES OF FUTURE SOCIAL LEARNING BUILT ENVIRONMENTS TOWARDS 21st CENTURY EDUCATION IN TERTIARY EDUCATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Ramu ◽  
Nor Fadzila Aziz
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Social Preferences ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
Learning Space ◽  
21St Century Education ◽  
New Learning

In the past two decades, the transformation that has captured tertiary education worldwide is a significant task mentioned as “academic evolution”. Whereby, the vast exploitation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) explicitly mentioned as artificial intelligence (AI), digitisation, automation and Internet of Things (IoT) articulate the term Industry 4.0. Furthermore, the application of ICT in teaching and learning foster a new learning theory designated as Connectivism. Hence, there are needs in the formulation of an ideal and compatible classification of a social learning environment to accommodate the new learning theory, which enhances the informal learning undertaken by learners besides their formal lecture hours. Therefore, this study aims to seek factors that influenced learners’ preferences toward social learning spaces. A qualitative study was adapted to investigate the learner’s preferences attributes on social learning spaces at Polytechnics. An adapted questionnaire consisting of 39 items was administered to 300 Polytechnic students from three Polytechnics in Malaysia. In particular, data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with IBM SPSS version 22. The results from this research recommended a typology of six social learning space preferences attributes as a multidimensional construct with its two underlying dimensions: physical preferences and social preferences. The findings can help in redesigning and planning of social academic learning space in tertiary education institutions to enhance education towards 21st Century Education.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document